Performance Assessments(or PBL)

J.H. MacMillan (2011) Classroom Assessment – Principles and Practice for Effective Standards-Based Instruction, 5th ed., Pearson Education

Inc.

Students construct responses and knowledge

Create products, or perform demonstrations to provide evidence of their knowledge and skill

Adapt the content knowledge and apply it to a situation based in reality (‘authenticity’)

Motivate students with engagement in a scenario

Promote critical thinking, communication, teamwork, and problem solving

Performance Assessments

Learning should prepare students for life by being an integral part of life itself -- John Dewey

Simulating real problems and real problem-solving is one way to encourage this connection!

Performance assessments give students opportunities to choose among a diverse selection of projects

Performance assessments facilitate the creation of learning opportunities based upon students’ individual interests and strengths

Shift from “How will we test students on what we have

taught?” to “What performances can we design to see what students can do with what they know?”

Why Performance Assessments?

Students as active participants, not passive selectors of a right answer

Outcomes should be identified and should guide the design of the task

Student activities should match the objectives and allow student demonstration of mastery of intended outcomes

Students should actively apply knowledge and skills to reality based situations and scenarios

Clear set of criteria should be available to help judge the proficiency of student response

Characteristics of Performance Assessments

1. Reflect on standards of instructional unit(s)2. Identify observable and measurable

indicators for each standard3. Generate a meaningful context for the task

(real issues, problems, themes, student interest areas)

4. Identify thinking skills or processes that encourage application of knowledge and skills

5. Identify student products or performances 6. Generate Criteria & Rubrics

Process for Performance Assessment Task Design

1. Reflect on standards of instructional unit(s):

Academic Standard:Distinguish among the principles of force and motion

Identify elements of simple machines in compound machines.

Step 1: Standards

Identify observable and measurable indicators for each standard

My performance assessment will focus on the ability of my students to:

Compare and contrast simple machines to complex machines

Step 2: Observable Outcomes

Generate a meaningful context for the task (real issues, problems, themes, student interest areas) :

You are a graphic designer and have been asked to assist in the creation of cartoon characters created in the likeness and movement of simple and complex machines.

Step 3: Context

Identify thinking skills or processes that encourage application of knowledge and skills

Your goal is to identify a minimum of 8 simple machines and complex machines, observe the workings of these machines, compare and contrast these machines, and determine movements and combinations of movement that could be used to represent these machines.

Step 4: Process

Identify student products or performances

Develop cartoon characters as graphical representations of the machines and the movements of these machines. Be sure to distinguish between simple and complex on the graphics, identifying the reasons for the difference. Create a cartoon with your characters telling a story about what makes them the same, and what makes them different!

Step 5: Product

Your work will be judged by a panel of cartoon designers who will judge the creativity of your work. In addition, an engineer will evaluate your classification and identification of simple and complex machines. A successful result will lead to the creation of a new cartoon series!

Step 6: Criteria for Success

Possible “Roles” for these tasks

Advertiser Author Political Candidate Cartoon Character Coach Composer Filmmaker Teacher Lawyer Newscaster Photographer Detective Interviewer

Researcher Playwright Park Ranger Tour Guide Travel Agent Nutritionist Board Member Caterer Translator Engineer Scientist Doctor Fire Fighter Police Officer

Possible products for these tasks…

Advertisement Brochure Puzzle Magazine Article Memo Position Paper Poem Questionnaire Story Test Journal Blog Movie Discussion

Skit Speech Song Dance Newscast Play Advertisement Collage Collection Graphic Diagram Model Map Painting Photograph

Model for the development of performance assessments

Identify Setting and Role: You are.. You have. been asked to… Your job is…

Goal or Challenge Your task is… The goal is… The problem/challenge…

Product/Performance You will create…

In order to… You need to develop…

So that You need to decide…

For…

Audience Your clients are… Your audience will be… You will work to convince…

Criteria for Success Your performance needs to… Will be judged by… Should meet the following

standards… A successful result will…